Ultimate sand racer

When they couldn’t find an existing vehicle to meet their needs, three sand racing enthusiast from the United Arab Emirates, Bruno Laffite, Mohammed Al Qadi and Iannis Mardell, decided to build their own, the Zarooq Sand Racer.

Named after the fastest and most agile snake in the desert (the Schokari Sand Racer), the Zarooq Sand Racer is a road-legal production race vehicle tailored to the desert with a closed cockpit and air conditioning.

Designed in the UAE by Anthony Jannarelly, the man who designed the Lykan Hypersport car used in the movie Fast and Furious 7, the Zarooq is being built in Dubai where the men behind it believe there is a ‘huge demand’ for such a bespoke machine.

The Schokari is built around a lightweight, long travel carbon fibre chassis and powered by a midmounted 3.5-litre V6 engine capable of producing up to 372kW (500hp).

As part of a holistic approach to the project the partners in the project plan to build a dedicated off-road racing venue in Dubai and launch a dedicated single-make championship series and off-road driving school.

Cars can be pre-ordered for delivery later this year with the first 20 selling (depending on model, edition and options) for between $NZ118,000 and $237,000.

If that sounds like you, more information can be gleaned by heading to the company’s website at www.zarooqmotors.com.